Education chiefs have moved to fill a number of vital but vacant school crossing posts at locations across Perth and Kinross.
Lollipop men and women have been missing from some routes for a significant length of time, raising concerns about road safety.
The national road safety charity Brake has been among those calling upon the local authority – and others across Scotland – to ensure all posts are filled.
Figures obtained through Freedom of Information revealed that the number of school crossing patrollers working across Scotland has plummeted since 2013.
Two thirds of Scotland’s councils – among them Perth and Kinross – have also cut the amount they spend on lollipop men and women over the same period.
Some of the jobs have proved difficult to fill, with the combination of fairly low pay, Scottish weather and the lifestyle constraints that school-run hours impose all playing their part.
Around 10% of posts across Perth and Kinross are unfilled, but the council has been taking steps to make the job more attractive, including giving consideration to job sharing.
A flurry of job adverts have now been placed in an effort to fill some of the most pressing vacancies, including those at St John’s RC Academy and Goodlyburn Primary School in Perth.
Another patroller is sought for Crieff Primary School, where it is felt crossing support for pupils is needed in the Five Roads area.
A spokeswoman for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We continue in our efforts to fill school crossing patroller posts where required.
“It is an ongoing process.”
Lollipop men and women are in place at key locations outside schools and on key routes across the region. The council says it regularly reviews their placement, taking into account comments from councillors and the public and incidents.
In Scotland child pedestrians are two-and-a-half times more likely than adults to be injured in road traffic accidents.
Anyone interested in taking on one of the important posts, which range from between 7.5 to 15 hours per week, should visit the MyJobScotland website.
In addition, the council is continuing to seek supply school crossing patrollers, with an extensive poster campaign under way.
